Ex-Somali Judge Is Ordered to Leave U.S.

Published 8:00 pm, Thursday, June 12, 2003

A former Somali military judge accused of war crimes has been ordered to leave the United States, immigration officials said Friday.

Abdi Ali Nur Mohamed, known as Judge Nur, allegedly participated in the execution of innocent civilians in Hargeisa, Somalia, during the rule of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, according to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Mohamed did not contest the deportation order and remains in federal custody in San Diego, said bureau spokeswoman Lauren Mack. She declined to provide further details.

Mohamed's attorney, Dario Aguirre, declined to comment.

Mohamed had been living in the United States since June 1990 and was seeking asylum here. Immigration officials will seek to deport him to another country because he could be harmed if returned to his war-torn nation, according to the Department of Homeland Security.